Rebirth
by DarkestMercy93
Summary: t's the end of the Fifth Shinobi War, everyone Naruto knows is either dead or dying and he isn't very far behind. The next thing Naruto knows, he's waking up with Sasuke in a Konoha that hasn't been destroyed by war and stranger still, he's only ten years old. It's up to Sasuke and Naruto to save their home and their loved ones and prevent both Wars from ever happening.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hi guys! So this is my first attempt at a time-travel fic. I hope you like this story! I'm having to go through and study the timeline a little more thoroughly so it may take me a little longer to get updates up! It's been a while since I watched all of the episodes so I'm having to refresh myself a little bit here. If I have any plot holes I will gladly accept** ** _constructive_** **criticism about it and will work to adjust wherever I need to. So please, leave reviews and let me know what you think!**

 **I own nothing recognizable unfortunately.**

Everything was over. All of his friends were either dead or dying, he himself was dangerously close to giving in to the darkness. He heard a gurgling, hitched breath in next to him and slid his eyes toward the dark-haired shinobi he considered a brother. Sasuke Uchiha, rival turned friend turned enemy turned brother. He couldn't believe out of all of his friends, they were the only ones still alive. Sakura died months before, slaughtered right in front of the blonde's eyes. He winced at the memories, hating he was thinking about _that_ as his life was coming to an end.

He let out a sigh which turned into a watery, bloody cough before ending in a sharp wheeze. His lungs were punctured, one was definitely collapsed and he couldn't even count the number of broken bones in his body. One look over Sasuke's broken body and he knew neither one of them would be making it out of this alive. The war was won but no one would be around to celebrate the victory. What kind of cruel twist of fate was that? Peace reigned over their world for so long and then suddenly, it was gone. Naruto watched his wife and his children murdered, watched as every single one of his friends was struck down, and he was helpless to do anything.

 ** _Naruto, I know a way to fix this. But it's going to take a lot out of me. Do you trust me?_** Kurama's voice was strong in his mind. While his host's body was dying he still had all of his power. Of course, the moment Naruto died Kurama would also cease to exist but until then, he was just as powerful as ever.

 _Of course I trust you partner. I didn't think that was a question._

A soft, appreciative hum vibrated through his mind before he felt Kurama's chakra beginning to grow, **_If you want to bring Sasuke with us you better hold onto him_**.

Naruto didn't question the nine-tailed fox, he simply reached over a shaky hand and dropped it on Sasuke's abdomen. The Uchiha moved a fraction of an inch but other than that didn't acknowledge the hand suddenly on his stomach. Neither one had much strength left as it was.

 ** _Brace yourself, this may be uncomfortable_**. **_But if this works, you can fix everything._**

And then everything was lost to him in blinding white light.


	2. Another Chance

**A/N: Here is the first real chapter of the story! I really hope ya'll like it and will keep reading! I look forward to reading any reviews and comments ya'll have for me!**

 **I own nothing recognizable.**

A soft breeze caressed his cheek, stirring him from a surprisingly pleasant sleep. The smell of bread and grass and sunshine drifted past his nose and that's when he realized something was wrong. His eyes snapped open and he shot up, frantically taking in what should have been battle scarred landscape covered in blood and bodies. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of his village. _Konoha_ was whole in front of him. All of the buildings and the people and _everything_. H-how was this possible?

"N-Naruto?" the small voice next to him was one he remembered well but it was from many, _many_ years ago.

Slowly, he turned his head and found, "Sasuke?"

The black-haired child nodded, charcoal eyes blinking slowly, "Naruto, what happened? Why do you look like you're only ten years old?"

"I could ask you the same…" he trailed off, once again looking at the village, _his home_ , without a trace of war marring it.

Naruto thought on it for a moment, taking in the perfect village, and that's when he noticed the biggest clue as to what was going on and the things Kurama said before he passed out suddenly clicked into place "I think Kurama sent us back in time. Sasuke, look at the Hokage monument."

Sasuke turned and Naruto saw the moment he understood, "Holy shit. He _did_ send us back."

Naruto nodded, looking over the _four_ faces staring out at him. Four. There was no Tsunade. No Kakashi. His own face was gone. Naruto's father was the last one, "That's what he meant when he said he knew how to fix things. He sent us back so we can keep it from ever happening in the first place. Sasuke, we could save _everyone_."

Sasuke was silent and Naruto glanced over to make sure his best friend was okay. He wasn't surprised to see the raw emotions on his face. Hope, sorrow, regret, excitement. Finally, he looked to the blonde beside him, "We can save everyone."

Naruto nodded with a wide grin on his face, "Kurama gave us another chance at our lives."

Sasuke dropped to his knee, his right hand fisted over his heart and his head bowed, "Naruto, I swear to you I will not betray you this time. You are my Hokage, no matter what age we are in. I will follow your lead."

Naruto smiled fondly down at his friend, crouching in front of him, "Sasuke, I already know that. You don't need to convince me. Now stand up, if someone sees us they'll think it's weird the last Uchiha is bowing to the village monster."

Sasuke frowned at that, anger flaring in his eyes, "They will not treat you the same way this time around; I'll make sure of it."

Naruto chuckled, "Come on _teme_ , let's go find our team."

Sasuke smirked at the old nickname and took Naruto's offered hand, "Whatever you say... _dobe_."

Naruto let out a real laugh at that. Sasuke rarely called him dobe after he became Hokage but every now and then, when Naruto was being extra bull headed and wouldn't even listen to _Shikamaru_ of all people, he would pull it out. Sasuke smirked and dropped into his usual position on Naruto's left side about an inch behind his shoulder. Shikamaru usually took up his right while Sakura would follow directly behind him. It felt strange, being the only one in the formation.

"Sasuke, if you keep walking behind me like that people are going to wonder what's going on. We didn't exactly get along at this point, you know?" Naruto said, glancing over his shoulder at his friend.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and stepped up so he was beside Naruto instead of behind, "Better? I'm not going to play at hating each other. The first thing we can fix is our team. We didn't know how to work together well the first time around, this time we _can_. Sakura is air-headed right now, she will literally do whatever I tell her."

Naruto snorted, "I wonder how _our_ Sakura would feel if she heard you say that."

Sasuke visibly paled, "Well, thankfully she won't _ever_ know. And if she does ever find out about this conversation at some point in the future when she could actually kick my ass, Hokage or not I will get my revenge."

Naruto chortled, "Don't worry, I won't say anything to her. I can't have my ANBU Captain killed by his own _wife_ of all people. Especially when his wife is also the head of the Medic Corp. That would pose a real issue."

"You think we could set her up with Tsunade earlier this time? She needs a woman who's strong to show her it's okay to be better than the boys."

Naruto nodded, "That's already on my list. Along with making sure Gaara doesn't almost kill Lee and the Suna attack doesn't happen at the Chuunin exams. At least, not the way it did last time. We have to get Gaara on our side before everything goes down. Saving Jiji is on my list too. I would rather Tsunade take over for him because he gets old not because he dies. Besides, I think the bonds between Suna and Konoha would be stronger in the long run if we can lay a solid foundation sooner."

Sasuke's mouth twitched into the shadow of a smile, "You know, you said me swearing fealty would seem strange but you talking like a Hokage is just as strange at our age."

Naruto's cheeks turned a soft pink, "I didn't mean to. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought. How are we supposed to act like kids after everything we've seen?"

Sasuke stopped, grabbing Naruto's sleeve and tugging him to a standstill as well. The blonde glanced over his shoulder at his friend, "You're overthinking it. Just remember, at this point in time none of that has happened. You're supposed to be the optimistic one, so be optimistic!"

Naruto was silent for a long minute before he nodded slightly, "You're right. It's just all very strange. I don't know how I would handle this without you here, Sasuke. Arigato."

Sasuke chuckled and released his friend's sleeve, "Ah, you'd be fine. I should be the one thanking you. After all, it's only _because_ of you I can even experience this."

Naruto grinned and shrugged, "Well, it was technically Kurama's idea but you're welcome anyway."

"Speaking of Kurama, has he said anything since we woke up?"

Naruto sighed and shook his head, continuing down the street, "No. I haven't heard a thing from him. I imagine this took a lot out of him. He may just be dormant right now. Of course, there's also the possibility I'll have to rebuild my bond with him. That would be troublesome. But when I was ten I didn't even know Kurama was sealed in me so I definitely wasn't talking to him."

Sasuke made a thoughtful sound, "That would make things a bit more difficult. Hopefully he's just dormant and wakes up soon. Until then, we'll just have to manage on our own."

Naruto nodded in agreement, "We should probably also test out our chakra control and see if we're at the same power levels or if we've reverted to what our ten year old selves could do."

"Knowing our limits would be very useful in the coming years. Since we're only ten though we know we'll have at least two more years in the Academy. I don't think relearning everything will be too hard if we have reverted. We've done it once after all."

Naruto had to agree with him on that. He changed their course, heading for the training grounds now. As they were winding through the village he realized subconsciously he had been taking them to the Hokage tower. He glanced at the red building, a strange feeling of nostalgia overwhelming him. How many nights did he spend in that office with Shikamaru and Sasuke, going over battle strategies and new improvements to the village? How many times did Hinata visit with Boruto and Himawari only to have all three of them pass out on the couch while he worked? Sadness threatened to overwhelm him at the thought of his family. Would he still marry Hinata? Would their son and daughter be born? He missed them dearly already. How was that even fair? Missing something this version of him technically never had?

"Naruto, we're here," Sasuke's voice jarred him from his thoughts.

He blinked and turned his attention to the empty training grounds. It was later in the day, the sun beginning to lower in the west so most shinobi were eating dinner or preparing for early departures. He smiled slightly when he realized this was the Third Training Ground. Their old stomping grounds. He could still clearly remember their first session here with Kakashi and his damn bell test. That seemed like forever ago now and yet he knew in a few years they would be doing it all over again.

"Naruto! Come on, we need to test our skills before it gets too late."

Once again Naruto was pulled from thoughts of the past and slammed back into the present, "Right!"

Naruto took up his stance, right hand extended partially out with wrist bent and palm facing skyward. His right foot was in front of his left, both of them about shoulder width apart, and he bent his knees ever so slightly. Well, at least he knew his body still had the training sessions with Tsunade and Lee memorized. He worked hard to get his Taijutsu close to Lee's level and he even picked up a few of Tsunade's tricks with his punches. He would hate to lose that.

Sasuke merely slid his left foot just behind him at a ninety degree angle and raised his right hand. It was a stance Naruto recognized easily from their many battles and sparring matches, "Are you ready?"

"Hai!"

If Sasuke was sparring with anyone else, they wouldn't have seen him move. Naruto, however, blocked his fist with little to no effort, his eyes easily following his friend's movements. Sasuke was fast, Naruto was faster. After the war, Naruto worked hard to become faster and faster, trying to live up to his father's name. Needless to say, he quickly reached speeds unrivaled by anyone in all five nations. While his body may not be as quick at least his eyes could still keep up.

Another swift kick from the left, a punch from beneath, an elbow toward his face. Blow after blow reigned down and Naruto blocked each one. He threw a few of his own blows in as well, Sasuke blocking every one. During their sparring match Naruto realized not only was he slower but he was also weaker. His blows didn't pack the same power and he could tell Sasuke was noticing this as well. He tried moving faster, hoping the extra momentum would make up for his smaller body's weaknesses. While his strikes gained a little more power he was missing the muscle mass needed to really hurt someone. They would need to train hard to regain some of that if they wanted to change things. They couldn't afford to be as weak as before.

After about ten more minutes of this they both collapsed to the ground, panting and sweating. Naruto noticed his body was aching and his lungs burned. What would have been a warm up for him was like a full blown exercise in this body. Well, this sucked.

"We…are definitely…not as strong," Naruto managed to get out between pants. God, he was so tired.

Sasuke nodded, his own chest rising and falling rapidly, "Agreed. Lots…of training."

For the next twenty minutes they just laid there, panting and exhausted. Slowly, Naruto's breath started coming back to a normal rate and his heart slowed down. By the time he felt ready to try testing out his chakra the tree's shadows were stretching toward them, the sun sinking lower and lower in the sky. It would be dark soon. While neither one of them had a family to go home to it would still be strange for them to be here after dark at their current age.

Reluctantly and with lots of groaning, Naruto pushed himself up and stood. He stretched his arms and legs, twisting his back and trying not to think about how sore he would be tomorrow. Sasuke followed his lead, holding back his own pained groans before letting out a small sigh, "So, chakra test now?"

Naruto let out a sigh of his own, "Chakra test."

They both walked over to the tree line, knowing the fastest way to check their control would be tree walking. It was the first real technique Kakashi taught them, setting the foundation for everything else they would come to learn in the future.

Naruto took a deep breath, glancing at Sasuke briefly, before placing one foot on the trunk. It splintered the moment he touched it and he winced. Well, that could have gone better. At least he didn't completely snap the tree in half. He could feel all of his chakra now that he was really focusing on it. It was the same amount he remembered but his younger body wasn't trained in handling it yet. Well, that was an easy fix at least. His mind still remembered what to do, he just needed to retrain his chakra channels and his muscles.

He took another step after a moment, really focusing on how much chakra he used this time, and instead of splintering the tree his foot slipped before catching. Okay, so a little more but not too much and he would have it. Another step. No slipping, no splintering. He grinned. This wasn't so bad after all. Three more successful steps and he knew he had it down again. He ran the rest of the way up the trunk. When he reached a branch wide enough to stand on he took a few steps out and then let his body drop, hanging upside down from his feet. Perfect.

He looked down at Sasuke who was smirking up at him, "Looks like you figured it out, _Hokage_ -sama."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Don't be jealous I figured it out so fast, dobe."

Sasuke quirked a half-smile before focusing on his own tree, a serious look on his face. Naruto knew he would probably figure it out even faster than he did since he watched Naruto's failures. Sasuke was smart like that and learned from others quickly. He said it was because he was an Uchiha, it was in their blood, Naruto said it was because he was just that smart. Either way, he caught on quick which was very useful in the field.

Sasuke placed his foot on the trunk after another moment of intense focusing and unlike Naruto, it didn't splinter in any way. He cocked a smirk, shooting Naruto an arrogant look, and took another step. No splintering again and no slipping. Two more steps without issue and he was ready to run up that tree. Just like Naruto he moved out onto a branch large enough to hold his weight and dropped to hang from his feet. He looked at his friend and smirked, "Looks like I win. Again."

Naruto rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out, "That's just because you don't have as much chakra. It's _hard_ controlling all this."

Sasuke barked out a small laugh, "Yeah, that's what it is."

Naruto didn't even respond, just removed the chakra from his feet and flipped twice before landing silently on the ground below, "At least I can still silence my landings without a problem."

Sasuke was on the ground beside him a moment later, his landing just as quiet as Naruto's, "That will be useful."

"Ready to see which techniques we can still use?"

"You want to see if you can still use your Rasengan don't you?"

Naruto shrugged, not meeting his friend's eyes, "I don't know. Maybe."

Sasuke could read him so easily, "Alright. But we should probably go into the trees a bit. It will look weird if you manage to make a Rasengan since you're ten and shouldn't even know about that jutsu."

"That's definitely a good idea. Are you going to try Chidori?"

Sasuke thought for a moment before nodding slowly, "Yes but I also want to see if I can still use Kirin. Testing it out here would draw too much attention. We'll have to find somewhere more secluded to try out our bigger jutsu. Like my Susanoo."

"Sounds like a good idea. We should probably also check out your Sharingan, the Rinnegan didn't come back with us so there's not telling if you still have the Mangekyo."

"I hadn't thought about that yet."

Naruto moved into the woods, Sasuke falling into step right behind him again. He didn't correct him this time, there was no one around to see them anyway. Besides, having Sasuke at his back was comforting. Even though this was their home and there was no war going on right now he still fate safer with his best friend there. They were more brothers than friends now after the things they went through together. Sasuke had his back and Naruto would always have Sasuke's. No questions asked.

They stopped in a small clearing. Everything was quiet around them, the hustle of the village far enough away now they could barely hear it. Even the normal scents of cooking food and spices didn't reach them here. It was very serene and Naruto felt tension leave his shoulders. Tension he didn't even realize he'd been feeling. He supposed travelling back in time would make anyone a little uncertain and nervous.

Naruto stopped in the middle of the clearing, satisfied this was far enough in for no one to notice them. Sasuke shunshined into one of the trees ringing the clearing, settling on a wide branch. His legs dangled over the edge and he swung them lazily.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto summoned two clones and together they started working to form a dense ball of chakra. It was much harder than he was used to and took a little longer but after a minute or so a blue orb of twisting and turning chakra took form in his hand. His face splits into a grin, "Sasuke! I can still do it!"

"I can see that. Can you make it bigger? Or use your Rasenshuriken?"

Naruto frowned and turned back to the ball of chakra in his hand. He figured making it bigger first would probably be easier than making a giant shuriken attack. He bit his lip and concentrated even harder. His clones' hands moved rapidly over the Rasengan, making it bigger and bigger while also trying to maintain its form. It took a lot more out of him but he was able to make it about three times the size of the first one. It wasn't the biggest he'd ever made but for now it was the best he could do.

The Rasenshuriken took a lot more effort and he wasn't certain he would be able to pull it off. Both clones were frowning, concentrating intensely. He wasn't in sage mode, so he wouldn't be able to throw it or use it for very long, but hopefully he could still make it. Slowly, four little prongs starting moving off the central orb as the wind chakra one clone was channeling began to show. Slowly but surely, the prongs grew bigger and bigger. Maybe this would work.

And then he was flying backward and slamming into the trunk of a tree. He gasped, all the wind being knocked out of him, and slid to the ground. Both of his clones were in heaps across the clearing and they dispersed into puffs of smoke a moment later. He rolled over and groaned, well that didn't go as planned.

Sasuke landed at his side and crouched down, placing one hand on his back, "Are you alright?"

Naruto winced slightly but tried to hide it. Sasuke's voice was already laced with worry, no need to add to it. Besides, even if Kurama was dormant his healing should still be working, "I'm fine. Just a little bruised."

Sasuke helped the blonde stand, looking him over as if to make sure Naruto wasn't lying to him, "Maybe trying the Rasenshuriken was a bad idea. You should probably stop for today. Let me try Chidori and check my Sharingan then we can go eat. I'm starving."

"We can have ramen! Ichiraku will be there!" Naruto's eyes lit up at the possibility of eating at his favorite ramen shop again. He couldn't remember the last time he had it.

"Sounds like a plan. Now go sit somewhere out of the way so I don't have to worry about hitting you. I'm not really sure what's going to happen."

Naruto didn't argue, especially since his own attempt sent him flying. He wasn't really up for being electrocuted. He shunshined into the same tree as Sasuke and settled on the same branch, "Alright Sasuke, let's see what you can do!"

Sasuke gave one of his trademark smirks before his face went blank and he directed all of his attention to what he was doing. He dropped his right arm down and wrapped his left hand around the wrist, his eyes glued to his hands. Naruto watched intently as first there was only a small spark, so small he almost missed it. He wondered if maybe the Chidori would be a bit much given their current ages and control. But after another moment there was more electricity starting to spark around his hand, growing brighter and brighter every second.

Naruto was not surprised at all when after another minute or two he was able to perform a smaller version of the Chidori. It wasn't quite up to his full power but then again, if Sasuke accidentally overpowered it he'd receive more than a few bruises from a tree. Keeping it small and controlled was the safer option. Naruto was also fairly certain there was still enough Chakra in that one Chidori to take down more than a couple opponents. Lots of power in a small package. That would be their motto from here on out, he decided. They were tiny, with these childish bodies, but they could pack the power needed to take on almost anyone.

"Naruto! Pay attention!"

Naruto blinked and snapped his attention back to his friend, surprised to find him standing on the branch in front of him and not in the clearing anymore, "Sorry, I was lost in thought. Were you saying something?"

Sasuke huffed and sat down, let his legs dangling under the branch, "I was saying we should probably go get something to eat now. It's starting to get late and we have to be at the Academy in the morning. We can start our planning tomorrow afternoon."

Naruto cocked his head to the side, "What about your Sharingan?"

Sasuke sighed and shook his head, "I'm too tired today. I'll test it out tomorrow."

Naruto nodded with a grin and stood, "Sounds like a plan to me! I'm starving!"

As if to punctuate his words, his stomach let out a loud grumble, making both of them laugh. They left the tree and the training grounds behind, heading for Ichiraku ramen and the first warm meal either could remember having in a long time.


End file.
